The article analyses the adaptive properties of Tanya the soft winter wheat variety, which is a masterpiece of breeding. Extensive statistical material accumulated over a 14-year period of studying Tanya in experiments on agroecological certification of varieties is presented. Statistical processing of variation series of the most important economically valuable traits is carried out, indicators of ecological plasticity and stability are calculated according to the Eberhart and Russell method, and the results of correlation analysis between yield and economic traits are presented. Reasoned conclusions have been made that Tanya, included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2005, is one of the most productive, highly plastic varieties by this feature. The greatest contribution to the yield is made by the number of ears per unit area, the variety by this feature belongs to a very highly plastic group, which allows for a significant impact on its size using agricultural practices with mandatory control of the number of grains per ear. The Tanya variety is capable of forming high-quality grain, especially when cultivated on a high agricultural background.

The article reviews the results of many years of breeding activities to develop a new crop for the south of Russia – winter durum wheat. This period is divided into six stages, each of which has a breeding strategy. Their implementation ended with the development of varieties that meet the objectives of a given stage. The article presents the results of studying varieties by their main economically valuable traits, revealing their advantages and disadvantages. In the process of breeding, it was possible to reduce the height of plants, increase yield, resistance to lodging, frost resistance, and the quality of grain and pasta. The article outlines the current state of durum wheat grain production, the problems of curbing the growth of areas under the crop, and possible solutions.

The article shows the economic and biological characteristics of alternative lifestyle wheat genotypes, their role and prospects for use in agricultural production. Natural climatic and bio-genetic factors that form the adaptability systems of genotypes of different lifestyles (winter, spring, two-handed) are considered. Methods and techniques of ecological breeding with elements of "shuttle" are shown, when developing alternative lifestyle wheat varieties, aimed at forming populations under the influence of artificial selection against the background of natural selection with variable impact of natural climatic (environmental) factors, to isolate genotypes most adapted to abiotic stresses. Identification of the developed and isolated promising genotypes is carried out according to our proposed method of assessing express phenotyping by the reaction of the breeding material to the photoperiod and spring temperatures.
The following developed varieties: Lastochka, Athena, Pallada, Anka, Vekha, Velena, Karavan, Leo, Vyzov are briefly described.

In 2024, 50 years of breeding work on triticale crops will be celebrated at the P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center. During this time, there have been lots of achievements starting with the creation of primary triticale and the study of collection material to an experimentally tested breeding scheme, the development of a model of winter and spring forms, the development of forty-eight winter and eleven spring varieties of triticale. Initially, the work on triticale breeding was headed and managed until 2001 by Timofeev V.B., Doctor of Agriculture. Over the years, this topic has been worked on by Kotlyarov V.V., Filobok V.A., Dudka L.F., Shlyakhovoy G.D., Kalmysh A.P. Currently, this research area is being developed by Kovtunenko V.Ya. Doctor of Agriculture, Chief Researcher, Head of the Triticale Breeding Department and Panchenko V.V., PhD in Agriculture, Leading Researcher. The research is aimed at the development of new triticale varieties with improved economic characteristics, providing stable yields of grain and green mass with high feeding value.

The article briefly reviews the results of the research in the main areas of work with the VIR winter soft wheat collection: its replenishment, study, and supply of other institutions with samples requested by applications. Over the past two decades, almost two thousand samples have been included in the collection, differing in biological status and geographical origin. Field and more in-depth laboratory studies are focused on assessing the resistance of samples to harmful diseases common in Russia, sources of resistance to the phytopathogens causing them have been identified, and some of the sources have been genotyped using DNA markers. Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW), which is well crossed with soft wheat, has become a useful genetic resource in the world for the sustainable enrichment of the soft wheat gene pool. The SHW samples contain not only useful alleles of genes of juvenile resistance and group resistance of adult plants to various diseases and pests, but also high mass of 1000 grains and proteins of the endosperm of the grain, which affect the quality of gluten. The problem of supplying breeding and other research institutions with source material is discussed.

The main areas of spring soft wheat breeding in the Non-Chernozem zone of the Russian Federation cover increasing the resistance of new varieties to biotic and abiotic stresses in combination with high productivity and good grain quality. Remote hybridization allows obtaining valuable source material with the necessary characteristics. The purpose of the research is to study the collection of wheat-wheatgrass hybrids (WWH) for a set of economically valuable traits. The studies were carried out in the Moscow region, on sod-podzolic heavy loamy soils in 2020−2022. The objects of the research were spring wheat-wheatgrass hybrids of late generations obtained by crossing domestic and foreign wheat varieties (Triticum L.) with trititrigia samples (xTrititrigia Tzvel.). The samples studied in contrasting meteorological conditions showed high biological yield. The average yield of the standard variety Zlata was 636 g / m², of the variety Aquilon — 775 g / m². The yield of spring wheat-wheatgrass hybrids was 725−795 g/m² (WWG96, WWG2714, WWG107, WWG2430, WWG138, WWG27, WWG59). The highest biological yield was obtained from the WWG127 sample, which amounted up to 986 g/m². This was facilitated by high productive bushiness (2.3) and stable grain weight per ear at the level of 0.9−1.1 g.

The article presents a 100-year history of the Department of Barley Breeding and Seed Production of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center. It tells about classical breeding methods such as individual selection and hybridization, with the help of which the first varieties were obtained in the Department. In 1934, the Krasny Dar variety, obtained by the method of individual selection from local Kuban winter barley, was zoned. This variety was most widely used in industrial crops. In 1941, it occupied about 75% of the entire sown area of winter barley in the USSR. In 1948, a new winter barley variety, Krasnodar 1918, was zoned which was bred by hybridizing the local Kuban variety with the Mamut variety in Krasnodar Krai to replace the Krasnodar 2929 variety. In addition to the hybridization method, the Department was one of the first in the country to use the experimental mutagenesis method in breeding. When including mutants obtained on promising material in crossing, lines with unique features and new breeding blanks were selected, with clearly expressed individual features or with a complex of features suitable for meeting the multifaceted tasks of an effectively operating breeding conveyor. This method made it possible to develop zoned varieties of winter barley: Iosiff, Strateg with a yield of more than 10 tons per hectare, having field resistance to the main diseases. The long-term history of winter and spring barley breeding has shown that the genetic diversity of varieties and periodic variety renewal will allow to meet the demands of agricultural producers for whom it is important to obtain consistently high crop yields.

The article presents the results of the analysis of the yield of varieties and lines of naked spring oats, such qualitative characteristics as the mass of 1000 grains and the protein content in the grain, in the conditions of Krasnodar. The prospects of creating a new variety of naked oats for the south of Russia are considered. The experimental part of the work was performed in the Department of barley selectionand Seed Production at the P.P. Lukyanenko Federal State Budgetary Research University in 2020−2023. Modern trends in oat cultivation are aimed at using naked varieties due to a number of their advantages. The grain of filmy oats is densely covered with flower scales, and the grain of naked oats is freely located between the flower scales and easily separates from them during threshing. Due to the high content of flower films in the grain of filmy oats, a low yield of finished products is obtained during processing, in this regard, the creation of varieties of naked spring oats with higher productivity adapted for the south of Russia is relevant. Success in creating new varieties is possible if there is a genetically diverse source material, the correct selection of which largely determines the advantages and disadvantages of future varieties. As a result of the conducted research, samples with an average yield over the years of the study above 27 c/ha were identified: this is a mutant line of Vyazemsky M own breeding, the Percheron variety (Kirov) and line 629h09 (Kirov). Samples with a mass of 1000 grains over 21 g of Snipe, line 683h05, Vyatsky (Kirov), Vyazemsky, Vyazemsky M (Krasnodar) were divided. A range of variation in the conditions of the city of Krasnodar was also established, including yield, weight of 1000 grains and protein content.

The article presents the historical stages of the Academician M.I. Khadzhinov’s work in the formation and development of the Department of Corn Breeding and Seed Production of the P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center. The work on corn breeding started with the development of varietal-linear hybrids, the construction of corn-calibrating plants, the production of seeders and combine harvesters. A significant milestone in industrial seed production was the use of cytoplasmic male sterility. M.I. Khadzhinov laid the foundation for the work in the department on the development of high-lysine hybrids of corn, the involvement of exotic races of corn in breeding, remontant improvement of populations, the use of haploidy for accelerated production of homozygous lines, selection for immunity to stem rot and corn borer. M.I. Khadzhinov created a remarkable galaxy of his followers who develop corn hybrids that are adaptive to modern conditions, constantly improving the methods of their breeding and seed production. The Department of Corn Breeding and Seed Production carries out research on hybrids of all maturity groups. The Department has launched work on the breeding of hybrids for food. In recent years, work has been intensified on the breeding of waxy and white-grained corn hybrids.
To obtain high yields of corn grain, elements of varietal agricultural technology for commercial and seed crops are being developed. Their recommendations are presented annually in scientific articles and monographs.
By 2024 scientists of the Center have zoned 63 corn hybrids. They are cultivated in all agroclimatic zones of Russia, as well as in the Republic of Belarus, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Waxy corn (Zea mays var. ceratina) is well-known for its high amylopectin content in the grain, making it valuable for the food industry and biotechnology. However, its yield is often lower than that of conventional varieties due to limited genetic diversity and adaptability. The study is aimed at the assessment of the genetic material of waxy corn lines for the development of highly productive hybrids. From 2020 to 2022, 12 self-pollinated lines were crossed, 25 hybrid combinations were obtained. The yield was determined by the method of continuous harvesting with recalculation to the standard grain moisture according to the Dospekhov method. The results showed the possibility of increasing the yield and improving the biochemical composition of waxy corn grain through breeding. A positive correlation between the starch yield and the yield of hybrids was found. The data obtained can be used in breeding programs to develop new highly productive hybrids that are important for the food industry and other fields.

The development of corn hybrids with good grain productivity and high grain quality indicators is based on specific line material. It has been and is being developed in the Center on a wide background of previously obtained populations. This article describes the material of the lines obtained on an artificially developed population which includes 10 lines. The new lines were marked with the KOH selection index. KOH are characterized with high oil content in grain, and it varies from 6.0 to 11.1%. Most of the obtained lines, and there are about 200 of them, have an oil content of more than 8.0%. Hybrid material of such lines also has a higher oil content in grain, and their use in hybrid formulas gives its positive effect. The presence of two or three high-oil lines allows increasing the oil level in hybrid grain up to 10%.

The advantages of peas are their universal use for forage and food purposes, increased soil fertility, simplicity and accessibility of cultural technologies, and adaptability to various agroclimatic conditions. For southern regions, winter peas are of great importance, the advantage of which over spring peas is not only in obtaining early spring high-protein feed and a more stable yield of seeds and green mass over the years, but also in protecting the soil from wind and water erosion. Spring peas have been grown in the North Caucasus for a long time, but the local weather conditions allow winter peas to be grown without noticeable damage to crops in winter. The seedlings of most pea varieties tolerate short-term drops in air temperature to negative values. Due to this valuable biological property, peas can be sown in the fall in southern regions which are rich in moisture. This increases the technological efficiency of cultivating this crop due to the efficient use of autumn-winter moisture reserves by plants and an earlier harvesting period, in comparison with spring varieties. Biologically, these are not winter varieties, but cold-resistant spring varieties, as they can tolerate temperature fluctuations at early stages of growth. Due to global warming and climate change, winter pea crops in the South of Russia are expanding. In addition to the growing demand for winter pea varieties, farms are also becoming more interested in cultivating spring varieties that are distinguished by a high level of grain productivity with high stability of this indicator over the years. The main method of developing new source material in the breeding of spring peas is intraspecific hybridization followed by multiple, individual selection. During hybridization, special attention is paid to crossing varieties that belong to different ecological groups according to economic and biological characteristics.

In 2008−2020, the studies were carried out in a 6-field grain-row crop rotation to consider the effect of liming, primary tillage methods and fertilization on the fertility of leached degraded chernozem and the productivity of winter wheat under soil acidification conditions. The aim of the research was to study the effect of the ameliorant in specific soil and climatic conditions, as well as to search for the most effective agricultural practices for cultivating winter wheat. Methods and materials: the studies were carried out in a stationary experiment in the FSBSI P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center on acidified leached degraded chernozem in a 6-field grain-row crop rotation with the following crop alternation: winter wheat — soybeans — winter wheat — sunflower — winter wheat — corn for grain. Initial content: total humus in the 0−30 cm layer — 3.26% (according to Tyurin), mobile phosphorus — 54 and exchangeable potassium — 400−475 mg/kg of soil (according to Machigin), Ng — 5.0−5.4. The studied elements of the technology are the methods of primary soil cultivation: traditional — moldboard plowing to a depth of 25−27 cm for row crops and superficial plowing to a depth of 6−8 cm for winter cereals; loosening — chisel tillage to a depth of 36−38 cm for row crops and superficial plowing to a depth of 6−8 cm for winter cereals; superficial — cultivation to a depth of 6−8 cm for all cultures of crop rotation. Fertilizer saturation of crop rotation: control — no fertilizers; average — N121P19 K19; increased — N155 P38 K38; chemical agro-ameliorant (defecate) in terms of lime corresponding to 7.5 t / ha (CaCO3) Winter wheat variety — Sila, predecessor — corn for grain. It was found that against the background of agro-ameliorant (defecate), the most effective agricultural technique is an increased rate of mineral fertilizers, and from the methods of primary soil cultivation — traditional and loosening. They increased the content of organic matter, reduced soil acidity and increased the yield of winter wheat. The grain yield of winter wheat increased from 38.9−38.1 c / ha in the control to 74.0−73.5 c / ha against an increased background of mineral nutrition with the introduction of an ameliorant.

In a long-term stationary experiment, on leached chernozem of the central zone of Krasnodar Krai, the effect of applying Geostim preparation based on Trichoderma fungi on the biological activity of the soil was assessed. It was found that in 2022, the intensity of decomposition of flax cloth during corn cultivation in the option with the Geostim preparation was 78.8% on the 90th day of the study, while in the control — 51%. So, this option is suggested to have more favorable conditions for the vital activity of cellulose-destroying microorganisms, the biological activity of the soil is higher. In 2023, in winter wheat crops, the intensity of cloth decomposition at the end of the study was 78.8% with the use of the Geostim preparation, which is 13.8% higher than in the control. This indicates the dependence of the soil biological activity on both the preparation itself and weather conditions. The qualitative composition of microorganisms makes it possible to assess the phytosanitary condition of the soil, a positive effect of the Geostim preparation use on the ratio of ecological-trophic groups of microbiological fungi was determined, and the pathogenic group is reduced.

The article discusses the necessity of using chemical seed protection agents as one of the factors of stabilizing agricultural production increasing the resistance of grain crops to fungal diseases. The importance of improving the health of seed material by treating it with fungicides is demonstrated. The aim of the research is to study effective fungicides for protecting wheat against harmful organisms in the Tambov region. The research on the detection of diseases was carried out at the Central Russian Branch of the FSBSI I.V. Michurin Federal Scientific Center in 2022−2023. The winter wheat varieties Skipetr and Lipetskaya Zvezda were used as the object of the research; the subject of the research was new generation fungicides. It was found that the yield of the winter wheat Skipetr in the control and experimental options was superior to the Lipetskaya Zvezda variety. The maximum preserved yield was noted in the second variety. It was revealed that in the first experiment the maximum biological and economic efficiency of the Tilt Turbo preparation 1 l/ha was noted on both varieties compared to other fungicides, with an excess on the Skipetr variety. In the second experiment on the variety Scepter, the options with fungicides Capella 1 l/ha and Triada 0.6 l/ha were superior, as for Lipetskaya Zvezda — Title Duo 0.32 l/ha was superior. The chemical background for seed treatment was the fungicide Maxim Forte 1.75 l/t. It was noted that the pathogens of the root system were micromycetes of the pp. Pythium, Fusarium, Alternaria, the development of which depended on the varietal characteristics of the crop and climatic factors. It was found that during germination of grains, pathogens were localized in the root part of the sprout, slightly in the embryonic roots. It was proven that in the wax ripeness phase of the crop, micromycetes of the genus Alternaria were found only in the root part of the plant. The genus Fusarium remained numerous, the roots and the lower part of the internode were more strongly affected. The development of pythium micromycetes was moderate, accumulation occurred on the roots and slightly in the lower part of the stem.

The studies were carried out at the Voronezh Federal Agrarian Scientific Center (former V.V. Dokuchaev Research Institute of Agriculture). The aim was to study the effectiveness of associative strains in winter wheat crops. The object of the studies was the intensive type variety Krastal. The soil of the experimental plot is a combination of segregation and migration-mycelial agrochernozem. Observations were carried out on two levels of fertilization — without fertilizers and ammonium nitrate N30. Mineral fertilizers were applied under pre-sowing cultivation. Diazotrophic preparations were used for pre-sowing inoculation of seeds. The treatment was carried out on the day of sowing. In the course of the research a positive effect of inoculants on the stabilization of soil fertility was determined. The formation of high grain productivity is noted when using diazotrophic microbial preparations. Against the natural background of mineral nutrition, inoculants increased grain yield by 2.1−2.8 c/ha. Against the background of mineral fertilizers, biopreparations had a less stable effect. The increase in yield was 1.5 c/ha. Based on the studies, it is recommended to use soil diazotrophs in grain crops of the Central Chernozem Region, which ensure an increase in yield and stabilization of soil fertility.

The studies carried out in a multifactorial field experiment show the degree of influence of different doses and types of applied fertilizers on the yield of sugar beet. Analysis of three-year data indicates that the organo-mineral fertilizer system using 80 t/ha of cattle manure in combination with complex mineral fertilizers at a dose of N180P180K180 (which used azophoska N16P16K16) allows to obtain the greatest increase in the yield of the studied crop, which was 67.9 t/ha during the research. According to the analysis of energy efficiency, the most effective option was the use of a single dose of mineral fertilizers, the efficiency was 3.7. The results of the experiment show that the most acceptable option is the one using a double dose of complex mineral fertilizers (N180P180K180), since a high increase in yield was obtained compared to the control option (36.7 t/ha) with relatively low energy costs for the use of fertilizers (27 810 MJ/ha).

По результатам сборов личинок жуков-щелкунов в степных агроландшафтах Предкавказья были отмечены экономически значимые видов жуков-щелкунов. На полях Ростовской области, Краснодарского и Ставропольского краёв отмечено шесть видов рода Agriotes, где наиболее часто встречались A. sputator L., A. gurgistanus Fald. и A. tauricus Heyd., видами рода Melanotus представленные M. fusciceps Gyll. и M. brunnipes Germ. и один вид рода Selatosomus. На полях региона повсеместно присутствовали личинки посевного, степного и красно-бурого щелкунов. Щелкун крымский доминировал на сельскохозяйственных угодьях в южной части региона. Почвы с лучшими условиями увлажнения предпочитали личинки щелкунов полосатого, тёмного, западного посевного, крымского и широкого, а в более сухих почвах доминировали щелкуны степной, красно-бурый и буроногий.

The article presents the main areas and results obtained using biotechnological methods in the P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center (Krasnodar). Using original approaches to genome modification, the Department of Breeding and Seed Production of Wheat and Triticale developed unique synthetic forms, with the participation of which a large number of introgressive lines of soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) with valuable breeding traits transferred from various species of its wild relatives were obtained. To expand the genetic diversity of soft wheat and accelerate the breeding process, the Department uses haploid technology methods and marker-associated selection (MAS). Using the obtained results, new donors of valuable traits were selected, which can be used to solve current theoretical and practical problems of wheat breeding. Five varieties of winter soft wheat were developed: Zhirovka, Fisht, Vostorg, Grom and Bagrat.